But it is also important to take note of the number of government agencies and departments the administration has to gather together in a room to ‘rationalize’ the regulation of hydraulic fracturing. There are 13 different government agencies involved. Thirteen! And as industry representatives noted, while praising the move, it is really the states that should, and are, doing the on-the-ground, up-to-date job of regulating fracking.

“There are already strong state regulatory systems in place,” Jack Gerard, president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute said in a statement. “Adding potentially redundant federal regulation could stifle the kind of investment that has led to lower energy prices for consumers, more American jobs, and increased energy security.”

One other note, President Obama has a bad habit of ignoring the recommendations of his hand-picked working groups and commissions (Simpson-Bowles, anyone?). So don’t hold your breath that this effort will be met with anything other than beging neglect.